


Shenanigans

by Maimat, Miah_Arthur



Series: Gates of Hell [4]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Angst, Depression, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Self-Sacrifice, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:54:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22021378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maimat/pseuds/Maimat, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miah_Arthur/pseuds/Miah_Arthur
Summary: First Days of Hell AU. Maze and others nudge Lucifer back into the world around him. Shenanigans ensue. Lucifer heals and gets one step closer to learning his true purpose in Hell.
Relationships: Mazikeen & Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV)
Series: Gates of Hell [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1514090
Comments: 53
Kudos: 139





	1. Despondent

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to our beta reader Hircine_Taoist.

He woke up to Maze nudging him with her foot. He grumbled but didn't move.

"Are you still alive?"

"No." He shivered, skin feeling prickly and over sensitive. His muscles ached all over.

"Then I guess you don't want any of this scalding ooze porridge I made," she teased.

Yes. Yes, he did. She didn't make that for him often. Even the thought of it made his mouth water and he licked his dry and chapped lips. He wanted to sit up. _He wanted to._ He imagined himself sitting up, holding out a hand for the warm bowl, imagined the taste of the porridge, sweet on his tongue compared to so many other semi-edible things in this world.

"Lucifer, are you getting up or not?"

But he fell back to sleep. Consciousness only brought misery, and more chills. Light touches were irritating; the blanket material felt like gravel scraping his skin. Outside the cover the air was too cold. He could scoot closer to the hearth, but then he might as well be in the fire as near it. The heat was too intense, burning, even from a distance.

Maze lightly stroked his hand, then wrapped her fingers around his wrist and pulled him upright, the pressure of her fingers was better than the light caress from before. Nausea roiled his stomach and he grasped the blanket around his shoulders, the muscles in his upper back protesting against the movement. He wanted to sleep. Why wouldn't she let him?

She placed the bowl on his lap, "Eat before it gets cold."

He wanted to. But the gap between wanting and doing was wide. He pushed the bowl back to the floor before laying down and rolling over, grasping for the comforting embrace of sleep to return.

From some distant place where the world still existed, a body slid close behind him, arms wrapped around his chest and warmth enveloped him. Only then, did his shivering ease, and he rested at last.

Lucifer was aware when Maze's body moved away from his. He wanted to reach for her, ask her to say, but willing the action into reality was too much work. Instead, he rolled onto his back and watched in a half-doze as she sharpened her blades and buckled on her armor.

The prospect of Maze leaving brought back old fears. Where was she going? Would she come back? He didn't want to be alone.

But the words wouldn't come. He remembered the frustration of not being able to communicate, and that same level of despair burned within him. Why couldn't he translate his thoughts into words and ask her to stay?

Mazikeen left. He turned his head back toward the fire, watching the blaze. She'd be back. This was her dome, her stuff was here, of course she would come back. Knowing this didn't ease his fears.

The winds rose and howled when Lucifer opened his eyes. He expected to be alone still, but Maze crouched beside him. She used moistened moss to clean and buff her blades. The moss went into the hearth basket to dry and later be used to fuel the fire. The ruined side of her face was the only part of her he could see, the bone and tendons blended and meshed with the skin, shaping her jaw and her eye. He knew this side of her as intimately as the other, and it fascinated him. He wanted to run his fingers along the intricate patterns of her cheek. But he didn't. The lethargy gripped him as securely as the divine binding cord ever had. There was no fighting it, and so he didn't. He lay and watched. She didn't look his way until she finished tending to her blades and put them away.

"Are you going to stay awake this time?"

"Maybe." He didn't want to.

"Still cold?" She asked.

He nodded. She reached over and helped him sit up. The blanket fell from his shoulders and she wrapped her arm around him instead. She threw more moss on the fire, and he rested his head on her shoulder.

A dark patch of something on her arm caught his attention and he rubbed his thumb against it. "Blood?"

"Not mine," Maze answered.

He had questions, but no words would come. He let his arm drop on his lap and rested against her. Wrapped in Maze's warmth, he started drifting away in his mind again.

"I have a serious question, Lucifer."

That brought him back. He tensed, waiting.

"Does your kind hibernate?"

"I don't know that word."

"Beasts that sleep for long periods of time."

"Not a beast," he grumbled.

"I know, but do you hibernate?"

"No?"

"What is this, then?"

He shrugged.

"I want you to stop it. Get up. Move. No more sleeping."

"I'll try." He sat up straighter as she pushed him off her. He accepted the waterskin when she passed it to him and took a long drink. How could he explain he wanted the same thing; he just didn't know how.

...

"Lucifer, there are whelps outside. If they damage anything, I'm blaming you."

He threw his arm over his face, only wanting to go back to sleep. "What are whelps?"

"Untrained pests." Maze rolled her eyes and snatched the cover off him. Lucifer rolled up into a ball. Why was it so cold? She clapped her hands in front of his face. "Get up, Lucifer. Enough lying around."

"I'm not lying around; I'm sleeping."

"You haven't bathed in a hand of ashfalls. You smell like wet sandals. If you keep going like this, you'll rot."

"Angels don't rot."

"They're throwing rocks at the dome, and I'd rather not have to go out there and give them the beating they deserve. They're looking for you. Get up and see what they want."

He groaned and sat up, stomach roiling with nausea. His chiton hit him in the head, courtesy of Maze, and he pulled it on and pinned it. Leggings next. He laid back down and pulled them up. And the belt. The clothes scraped against his over sensitive skin and he was even more cold wearing them than without. Sandals. Cloak. Maze tried to push the scarf at him, and he batted her hand away. The thought of anything wrapped around his throat felt like being choked. He tugged at the collar of his tunic. "I'm fine."

The light from the torch made him squint. Since when was anything in this realm too bright? The ash cloud glowed brighter, the torches were beacons of pain driving into his skull, and yet everything else was too dark. Lucifer squinted into the contrasting visual chaos around him.

A rock hit his back. He turned and glared. Right. Fraq stared at him with her asymmetrical eyes, the larger yellow one nearly glowed around the slit of vertical pupil. On either side were two males, whatever their names were. Hadn't there been three males before? "What?"

She ran up and grabbed his hand, tugging him along.

"Maze—" He called back to the dome, seeking rescue. He didn't want to go anywhere or do anything.

Maze stepped out of the dome and shoved a small travel bag at him. "No more sleeping. Stop at the market and get more hair-moss."

Well. That was unhelpful. He pulled the bag over his shoulder and let Fraq drag him along. His limbs felt heavy and tired and sore. "The market is the other way."

"How would you know?"

"How do you know I _don't_ know?"

Fraq stuck out her tongue and let him go.

"Where's the other one?"

"Other what?"

Lucifer waved his hand toward the other males, the round furry one close to Fraq's size was there, as was the shorter one with spiked hair and beady eyes. "The one with horns and sharp teeth is missing."

"Oh, Zek found a mentor. He will be a warrior!" Fraq stated proudly.

"Why don't you have a mentor?" Lucifer asked, he'd thought Fraq was the leader of her bunch of miscreants.

She glared and let out a derisive snort. "I'm not going to mentor with just anyone. I'm waiting for a proper female warrior to train me. Zek's male, it doesn't matter who trains him. I've heard your handler is a really good mentor. But I bet she's not looking for any proteges. You know, unless she found someone she thinks is worth her time. What do you think?"

Lucifer bristled at Maze being called his handler. Maze was not his handler. She was… something else. "I don't think Maze likes whelps very much."

Fraq let out a harrumph and kicked at a stone on the lane. Her mood didn't stay sullen for long though. "Bet you can't keep up with me."

"Why would I want to?" Why did Fraq have so much energy and why was she using it to bother him?

"Cause you're slow. Lilim are faster than angels."

"No, they aren't."

"Prove it."

Lucifer glared, indignation welling up inside him. Pride trumped lethargy. His sandals were on securely. "Fine."

Fraq took off. Lucifer gave her a head start. The little males stared open-mouthed. And then he was off. But he didn't follow straight. He knew his way around better now. He didn't even have to run. Just wait, listen, and follow. He took a 'path' between domes and then cut through a boar pen, and around… and there she was. Fraq had slowed to a stop, looking behind her. Lucifer snuck up from behind, leaned in close to her ear.

"Fraq," he whispered, and she jumped, flailing theatrically.

She smacked his arm. "You cheated."

"Did not. You can't cheat when there are no rules. The goal was to keep up. I did."

"Next time there will be rules."

He shrugged. "I already proved angels are faster. You can't undo it."

The two little males came running to catch up, panting all the way.

Fraq walked along beside him, kicking at the ash drifts as she cast side-eyed glances his way.

"Ugh. I can still smell the Lethe on you," she muttered.

"What's Lethe?"

"It makes you think down is up, bad is good."

"Is that supposed to make sense?"

"It's bad. Terrible. The ones who supply it aren't interested in making us feel good, they prefer screams. They make you do things you don't want to."

"No one made me do anything." He answered, but he wasn't sure. What about revealing his skin under the glamour? Making him reveal his wings? There was a lot about the encounter he couldn't remember. But he knew he'd resisted none of it.

"There are a lot of fun things to do that won't leave you to wake up in the trash."

He glanced at her, and then away. "If you mean the commons, I've been there. They don't like non-Lilim."

"They don't like anyone different. Warriors only like warriors. Gatherers only like other gatherers. Nobody likes whelps, but we have our own places. You could come with me sometime. If you're allowed."

"I'm allowed."

Fraq gave him a doubtful look and gestured the males closer and pointed at a group of Lilim throwing dice in the lane.

The males scurried up ahead.

"What are they up to?"

"We'll see you run yet," Fraq teased.

He snorted. "Not likely."

Fraq bared her teeth, and then nodded at the males. They grinned, and then the furry one screeched and leaped onto the other one, and an all-out brawl started between them.

Lucifer watched them growl and claw at each other, releasing terrible and loud howls and shrieks. They hadn't been angry a moment ago. He knew a planned distraction when he saw one.

Fraq nudged him. "Be ready," she warned.

He frowned. "What for?"

She ran up to the fight, trying to pull one off the other, and then went stumbling backward into group of Lilim gathered to watch. Lucifer kept an eye on her, and yes, there it was. Her hand snagged a bag at one of the Lilim's belts and tugged.

The string broke, she grabbed her prize, and was off running.

Shouts and threats followed; the males were already gone. All eyes turned on him.

_Oh. Warg-nuts._

"The beast was with them! Get him!"

The memory of the sad looking tusked beast speared and bleeding in the lane came to mind. Could he fight them? There were only five… did he want to? Not so much. He ran after Fraq, easily faster than the Lilim chasing. He was going to dunk the little menace into a boar pit for this.

The sound of pursuit only lasted for two lanes. As much as he hated to admit it, the brief burst of activity felt good on his sore muscles. He stopped and shook out the bits of gravel and stone wedged in his sandals and looked around.

Now, where was he?

A rock bounced off the back of his head. Fraq hadn't abandoned him after all. Why was she always throwing rocks at him? He looked for the source, and there she was. When she jumped down from the roof of the shelter, she was holding her spoils with pride, and even spun in place in excitement.

"This is going to be worth a lot!" she bragged.

"It doesn't look like there's a lot of coin in there. Is it something else worth trading?" He was used to them stealing stuff from the market by now, though he still didn't understand the logic of selling what they stole back to the trader they took it from. Nor the willingness of the traders to willingly partake in such transactions.

"We don't trade it, we ransom it. Don't you know what this is?" She asked and thrust the pouch in front of his face.

"Should I?"

Fraq rolled her eyes. "You're such a sprog. Its a Talisman Pouch. Everyone has one."

"I don't."

"All _Lilim_ have them. Your handler, Mazikeen, has one."

He ignored Fraq calling Maze his handler, _again_. "Oh, _that_ pouch. Why is that valuable?" He snatched the pouch out of Fraq's hand and loosened the tie to empty the contents of it onto his palm. It was just a bunch of funny colored rocks and some bones and teeth.

Fraq looked like her eyes might pop out of her head and she rushed forward, grabbed the bits and pieces and stuffed them back in the little sack. She shoved it in her cloak and looked around, checking that no one saw what happened.

Lucifer stood, perplexed. She looked genuinely upset.

Fraq kicked ash at him, her face white, hands trembling. "You gut-faced malt-worm!" she hissed and kicked ash at him again. "You're going to get us all cursed." She threw her arms up in the air and stomped some more. "That's it! We're cursed now. I'm going to end up picking fungus out of dank caves with the males! My claws are going to shrivel and fall off! My fangs will rot, and my face will blister and leak pus!"

He couldn't help it; he laughed. This only served to incense the little Lilim further and she launched at him.

That was unexpected. Lucifer stepped out of the way and stuck out his foot. She landed face first in the dirt. "Are we done now? Do you mind telling me what heinous crime I've committed?"

"You touched it," she growled and clenched her fists, but didn't attack again.

"How was I to know I wasn't supposed to touch it? Maze let me touch hers."

Fraq stared. "She _let_ you touch the things in her _pouch_?"

"She lets me touch a lot of things—"

Fraq hopped in place. "Don't you get it? You corrupted the talisman's essence. You cursed it."

"What essence? There's no curse."

She grabbed the pouch again and held it out threateningly. "This. No one is going to pay a ransom for corrupted magic."

"There's no magic on that. Never was."

"Of course, there is. It's a _Talisman_. That's what it _means_."

Lucifer rolled his eyes. "Nothing there. Do you sense anything?"

Fraq looked at the pouch. "No. That just means you chased it away."

He gestured to the pouch on Fraq's own belt. "How about that one? I never touched yours. Do you feel magic in there?"

"No. But, that doesn't mean there isn't. Maybe it's just me, and this is my curse now. Because of you!"

"You're not cursed. The pouch hasn't been corrupted. No one other than us need to know anything about it, and you'll get exactly as much ransom as you were going to before I ' _defiled'_ it."

Fraq eyed the pouch, and then eyed him. "Really?"

"Yes."

"I don't feel any different." She let out a sigh and tucked the pouches back where they belonged.

"That's because you _aren't cursed_. Tell me more about these magic pouches. Is there anything I need to know about them other than angels can't touch them."

"Not just angels. Anyone. Great shame is on anyone who loses their talisman."

"And curses, apparently."

She nodded gravely. "Warriors, especially, will do anything to reclaim a stolen talisman pouch, but we'd need to run a lot faster to escape a warrior. And if they catch you, they give you a bad thumping. This one just belongs to a gatherer, but we'll still get a decent ransom if it isn't corrupt."

"It isn't," he promised.

Fraq grinned suddenly. "You know who else really cares about their pouches?"

"Who?"

"Dames. They think the power, or their Talisman pouch directly influences how many males they can draw into the Spire for coupling. Come on, I heard there's a festival in the commons. Maybe we'll find some Dames there ripe for snatching."

"Shouldn't we wait for your friends? What if they were caught?"

Fraq looked around as though just realizing they weren't with them. "Bof and Grog can take care of themselves." And she tugged him along again. It was just as well. Maze wanted the hair-moss, and the market was where he needed to go to get it.

And then he could go back to bed.


	2. Letting Loose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer's shenanigans move into the marketplace.

He heard the drumming long before they reached the market. The sound traveled despite being muffled by the ashy air. He hadn’t heard anything like it before, and he grabbed Fraq’s arm and pulled her to the side. “What’s happening?” 

She raised her eyebrows and then started laughing. “What do you think it sounds like?”

“A battle?” 

She nearly doubled over with mirth. “Don’t you know what music is?” 

He snorted. He knew music better than any Lilim could imagine, this was not music. “This isn’t music.” 

But Fraq shook her head and grabbed his hand and tugged him along. “No battles, no thunder. Come and see for yourself.” 

The noise of it only grew louder the closer they got. So loud and so deep he felt his bones vibrate with the strange rhythm. He had his hands over his ears by the time they reached the actual square.

“You’re sure this isn't a battle?” he asked Fraq. She didn’t hear him. He asked her again, much louder and right next to her ear, and she grinned and tugged him toward it. 

The crowd of Lilim in the center of the square were tossing themselves around as though they were fighting, but with no visible opponents. It made no sense. Howling shrieks rose up through the cacophony of noise, the same cry they made when they fought, but again, they all seemed happy with each other at the moment. 

Fraq pulled him to the edge of the turmoil and started hopping around and throwing herself about as well. 

Was it an illness? He pulled her out. “What is wrong with you?” 

“Dancing. Come, you’ll like it.” She grabbed and pulled him forward again. 

He tensed as he entered the fray, expecting some manic possession to overtake him as it had everyone else. He didn’t feel any different. Fraq continued holding his hands and jumping around, and then rolled her eyes. 

On her tippy toes, she leaned up and yelled into his ear, “You have to move. Jump, do what I do. Feel it!” 

Still cautious, he hopped in place. He didn’t feel anything other than his bones reverberating from the deep sounds.

A flask moved through the crowd, Lilim drank and then passed it on. Fraq snatched it, took a swallow, and shoved it at him. “Drink!”

Oh. Alcohol. He took a sip. It was much stronger than anything he’d had yet. And sweet, he definitely liked that. He took another long gulp before handing it back to Fraq, and she passed it on to travel the crowd once more. 

A familiar smell reached his senses. Hair-moss. A stick of that made its way around as well, Fraq ensured he had a fair turn, and then that too carried on its way. 

His limbs began to relax, the sound nestled deep within him, Fraq continued hopping around, and tried again. She grinned and let out a wild howl, and he felt it. The sound moved him. He hopped with the beat, swaying and following Fraq’s lead as they pounded the ground together. 

But then she grabbed his hand and tugged him out of the circle. Lucifer followed reluctantly. He’d only just found this new pastime, why leave it so soon? 

“Dames!” Fraq grinned, her fangs and sharp little front teeth glistening. 

Oh right. She wanted more pouches to steal. He let her pull him off to the side. 

“Do you want me to create a diversion?” 

“The festival is the diversion. Anyway, the Dames won’t pay attention to you. You aren’t the kind of male they want. When I pass you the pouch, hide it in your cloak. They won’t be able to prove I took it if I don’t have it on me.” 

They’d done this before. In the unlikely scenario that Fraq got caught, she'd be searched, and without any evidence of her misdeeds on her, they'd have to let her go without a beating. Anyway, he still needed the hair-moss for Maze. Rillam’s shack was close enough for a waiting point. 

Rillam grumbled at him when he pushed coin her way. “Move along. Can’t have you scaring away my customers.” 

He rolled his eyes, used to her insults by now, and didn’t take it personally. “What is the celebration about?” 

She shrugged. “Does it matter? A reason to party is reason enough.” Rillam laughed. 

There had been celebrations in the Silver City. They were always serious events accompanied by specific rites and songs of praise. 

He tucked the hair-moss into his travel bag and turned, casually searching the crowd for Fraq. She was slinking around a group of dames at a leather stall. No one paid her any attention. What was so special about them that… 

Oh, there was Izuden. Her dark hair brushed her shoulders, hanging down as far as her spiraling mauve and gold flecked horns rose up, and the colorful leather dress she wore was wrapped tightly around her breast and hips, flowing out around her feet. Her face was painted gold to match her eyes. 

_Twisted maggot-tails._ Of course, as luck would have it, Fraq had narrowed in on Izuden for her thieving. He sliced through the throng of Lilim to the stall where Izuden was testing the texture of fine hides, and ‘accidentally’ bumped Fraq with his hip, sending her sprawling.

She jumped up and the stink eye she sent his way was impressive. He waved her away with a hand behind his back as he stepped up beside her intended target. 

“Issiden!” He cleared his throat as she looked his way. Why was he always mucking up her name? “Izuden.” On his second try, the word formed more clearly and he grinned. The chances she would acknowledge him were grim. It would do Izuden’s social standing no good to consort with a _beast_ like himself, and he fully expected to be outright rejected than receive any kind of friendly greeting. But, at least, his mission to foil Fraq’s theft was a success. 

“Samael?” She blinked at him and brought her hand up to his face, touched his skin in wonder. “Your skin, how?”

He’d forgotten the last time she saw him had been so different, it was a wonder Izuden recognized him at all. He self-consciously looked down at his hands. “A glamour—” 

It caught him completely off guard when she grabbed his hand and dragged him closer to her companions. “This is the living angel! This is Samael, I told you about him.” 

They stopped and stared, open-mouthed. 

“Uh?” 

Izuden grinned. “I was there when warrior Mazikeen delivered him to our Soverain,” she told the Lilim beside her proudly. Her companion was tall, her nose and both cheeks were bone and sinew, and her eyes an even brighter gold than Izuden's. She was very round and protruding at the waist, a feature the Dame seemed proud of showing off. 

“Did Mazikeen bring you out for the festival?” Izuden asked, searching the faces nearby. 

“No, I’m here with—” he glanced over at Fraq, still glaring daggers at him. He didn’t like the implication that he needed an escort to leave Maze’s dome. “I’m here by myself.” 

Izuden’s eyes grew wide. “Wow! Mazikeen let you out on your own?” 

“Yes, yes, I’ve been out on my own before.” 

Izuden clapped her hands excitedly. “That means you’re all mine for the next few fingers of ash. Oh, this is going to be amazing.” 

“Wait, what?” 

“Tatiana, give me your thistles. He likes thistles.” She grabbed a sack from her round companion and shook one of the treats onto her palm. “You’ve been good. Have one.” 

He gently pushed her hand away from his face. “Uhm, I’ve—” Maybe insisting he was alone hadn’t been such a great idea after all. He gestured toward Fraq to come to his rescue. 

Fraq only scowled and shook her head before disappearing back into the crowd. Great. 

“Izuden—” 

But she was back at grabbing at her companion. “I taught him to talk. Listen to him, he forms words so well now.” She turned back to him excitedly. “Say, dizzy-eyed flapdragon for us!” 

He should have let Fraq steal Izuden’s pouch. “Izuden—”

“You can do it,” she encouraged. 

“I know I can. I don't want—" 

"Don't be shy. I've told all my companions about our journey together." 

"Okay, fine. Dizzy-eyed flapdragon.” 

She squealed and clapped her hands again, looking to her companion with pride. She offered him the thistle again. He swallowed the foul taste creeping up his throat as images of being fed thistles after each Lilim finished coupling with him. But rather than stand and let them look at him as though he didn't understand, he took the treat and forced it down quickly. 

“I should get back to Mazikeen,” he tried to excuse himself. 

“Oh right, I guess you’re only allowed out for a short amount of time?” 

Lucifer was tempted to roll with that, but indignation got the better of him. “No. I don’t need to get back to her, I just—” 

“That’s perfect, I want to show you the Leisure Hall the Spire put together.” 

Anything to do with the Spire made his skin crawl, but she had hold of his elbow and was already directing him across the market. He pulled away. “Izuden, no. I don’t want to have anything to do with the Spire.” 

She seemed shocked at first, but then squared her shoulders and gazed intently into his eyes as she placed a hand securely on his arm. “Samael, you don't have to be afraid. I can protect you.” 

First things first, every time she said his other name he wanted to shudder. “I don’t go by the name Samael anymore. My name is Lucifer.” And he already knew she couldn't protect him. But that was beside the point. “I’m not frightened. I don’t want anything to do with the Spire.” 

“But it was the handler responsible for your care who hurt you, not the dames. You can’t blame the whole Spire for what happened.” 

Yes he could. 

“Then how about the fashion tent instead, then?” She suggested and poked at his cloak and chiton. “Not that these aren’t serviceable, but would you like to see what’s popular? I’ll buy you a flask of fermented tea.” 

“Why are you insisting I come with you?” 

She shrugged and glanced away. “I thought, maybe, we could have fun. Like we did when I first met you on the trail.” 

“That wasn’t fun for me.” 

“But, I remember you smiled. I remember you laughing as we sounded out words together.” 

“I was a prisoner.” 

“But, what about after, in the Spire, when I visited. There were many ashfalls I came to you and we talked. I taught you more words. That wasn’t horrible was it?” 

“After Maze went away, your visits were all I had to look forward to. You were the only thing left that _wasn't_ horrible. And when you stopped coming...”

Izuden visibly swallowed, and her horns flushed into a deeper purple. She reached out and touched her fingers to his. "Will you come share Fermented tea? I can buy some more thistles." 

“No more thistles.” Lucifer was the one who took her elbow this time and he steered her away from the snack vendor. "Don’t treat me like a beast to be rewarded for performing tricks." 

"I thought you liked thistles." 

He did like them. Or he used to. He sighed and gestured in the direction they had been going. “The fashion tent?” 

“Yes!” she grinned and got excited again, pulling him along as she had before. “They have the best fitted tunics. You need to try them on. And leggings and sandals. We’re getting all kinds of new materials from the conquest of Regolith’s Collective, it’s fantastic.”

Lucifer followed, half listening to her chatter on and on about cuts and textures and colors. He really didn’t understand the point to it all. Wasn’t one body covering the same as any other? It was all inconvenient and restrictive. 

The tent was on the edge of the market, far enough away from the booming noise of the drums to be able to hear clearly. She pulled him to the side where all the leathers and vendors were and started pulling off his cloak. "Take your clothes off." 

Lucifer glanced around. There were sheltered from the ash here, but Maze had seemed adamant about the necessity of covering his body outside of her dome. He hesitated. 

Izuden rolled her eyes. "How else are we to figure out what fits you?" 

She had a point. There was a group of female Lilim with their tunics off, standing at another table trying on various tops. And Maze had meant outdoors, hadn't she? He unpinned the chiton. 

"Sandals and leggings too," Izuden urged. 

There were hides on the ground for walking on, and he certainly wasn't about to argue against taking the sandals off. "Now what?" 

"Now, we find things for you to wear." She eyed him critically, and then sorted through a rack of cut leather before pulling one out and holding it up in front of him. "Try this one." 

It was just a long piece of leather with two holes in it. "How?"

Izuden turned back to him and blinked. "Oh, yes. I forget you don't know things." She took the piece and held it so his arms went into the holes, and then brought it up to his shoulders and wrapped around the front, the length reaching just above his knees. "How does that feel?" Her body pressed against his as she stood at his back and wrapped her arms around his waist to fasten the belt. 

A commotion caught his attention near the entrance…

Maze. His heart and stomach flipped and he wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or ashamed. Izuden seemed to have the same reaction and quickly took two steps back, putting distance between them.

“Lucifer,” Maze strode up to his side and eyed Izuden with disdain. Her hand came to rest on his shoulder and she stood so close their hips pressed together. 

“Mazikeen,” Izuden grinned and gestured with quick movements to the leather table. “Doesn’t he look fabulous?” 

“He does,” Maze agreed.

Izuden beamed. “Does the tunic feel good, Lucifer?” 

"Yes, actually." The leather was soft, and even the end cut pieces didn't pinch or rub against his skin. Maze’s presence and close proximity distracted him from saying more as her hand traveled down his back and to his hip. She stepped to the side, and looked him up and down. 

Maze looked back to Izuden, “How about leggings?” 

“Oh, yes,” Izuden hopped off to search the inventory laid out in front of her. 

Lucifer glanced at Maze, “How did you know where to find me?” 

“Your little whelp friend came running, said you’d been stolen by dames.” She smirked. “I have to admit, this is not what I expected to find.” 

Lucifer glanced over at Izuden. “She said there was fermented tea here.”

Izuden returned and passed a pile of leggins to Maze. 

“Try these on,” Maze passed them to Lucifer, and it did not escape his notice that Maze had placed herself as intermediary between himself and Izuden. The sudden shift in power dynamics confused him. Izuden was a dame and technically Maze’s superior, but Maze assumed authority despite what he understood about social hierarchy. The roles here weren’t rigid, and seemed as chaotic as everything else he’d encountered so far. 

Izuden continued following Maze’s lead, sorting through the garments and passing the ones Maze expressed interest in. Maze took over helping him with the complicated garments and showed him how to correctly put each one on, all while avoiding making him feel ignorant for not knowing things he’d never encountered before. It was a welcome contrast to how felt with Izuden’s help.

There were so many outfit changes, by the end, he knew the ins and outs of how to pull on and off the body coverings about as well as any Lilim did.

When Maze seemed satisfied with the result, she tugged him off to the side where a tall black slab of stone leaned against tent wall. "See?" 

The polished black surface reflected an undistorted reflection. Lucifer grinned and admired the image looking back at him. Perhaps this whole body covering thing wasn't so bad after all. 

Next came the sandals and it wasn’t nearly as torturous as he expected. He couldn’t believe how soft they were. Izuden grew brave again and even spoke to him directly despite Maze’s presence. 

“Can you put these on yourself?”

Maze scoffed and intervened. “Of course he can,” she answered in his stead and stood aside as he crouched and fastened the sandals. 

Satisfied, Izuden stuffed his old clothing into his travel bag. "Now that his attire is presentable. We need to work on his face. Mazikeen?” 

Maze eyed him critically. 

He brought a hand up to his cheek, worried his glamor had slipped. But no, he felt only smooth perfect skin. "There's nothing wrong with my face."

Maze gave Izuden a nod, and the dame broke into a huge smile. "You're going to love this," she promised and dragged him to the other side of the tent. There were various tables set up with all kinds of paint, sticks, and powders. She picked up an assorted tray and brought it to a collection of soft mats on the ground. 

Lucifer sat and poked at the various tools on the tray. “What is all this?” he asked and picked at a dark stick out of a little pot and drew it across the back of his hand. It left a thick dark mark. 

“You’ve never decorated your face?” Izuden asked eagerly. 

“Why would I? It’s perfect as it is.” His fingertips were smeared where he’d touched it, and he looked around for something to wipe them on, finally deciding on the inside of his travel bag. Even then the marking didn’t come completely off. 

“Stay still,” Maze murmured plucked the little stick out of the jar and reached at him. “This is kohl.” 

Lucifer leaned away. 

“You want to see what this does or not?” Maze asked. 

“Fine.” 

She reached for him again, the kohl stick in her hand aiming straight for his eye and he reeled away. 

Maze sighed. “Izuden, do me first, so he can see what its for.” 

The dame nearly bounced with excitement as she took the same stick from Maze and got really close to her face. Maze looked up at the ceiling, and Izuden started tracing the kohl around her eyes. Lucifer watched with rapt attention. 

The stick wasn’t going in the eye after all, only outlining the area around it, making the eye seem larger. Brighter.

“Why have you never done this before?” 

Maze shrugged, careful not to move and disturb Izuden’s line. “Haven’t had a reason to.” 

Izuden’s tongue poked out of her lips as she concentrated, and then ended with a flourishing line out at the side. 

Mazikeen blinked a couple of times, and then smiled. She turned to Lucifer. “Ready?” 

He nodded and did as she had and looked up at the ceiling and resisted the urge to blink or turn away. Maze didn’t stop with outlining his eye. She made extra sweeps with the stick, dabbing more paint as she continued. He waited patiently, trying to blink as little as possible until she finished. 

She leaned back and grinned. “I like it. Go look in the mirror,” she suggested. 

And Lucifer went, he stared at his reflection, at his outfit and his outlined eyes. It looked strange. There were smudges running from the outline, dipping outwards, seeming to fade as they went. So different than who he used to be. Excellent. He returned to Maze and Izuden and looked over the rest of the tray. There was so much more than kohl to play with. “What else is there?” 

Izuden hummed. “There is paint for the lips, and for the eye lids. We can also make a design along your face if you want.” 

He grinned. “I want it all.” 

Maze brought fermented tea and assorted edible — things on a tray— back to where they sat on the mats. They drank as Izuden and Maze took turns with the colorful pastes in the pots. 

Izuden chose blue paint for her lips, and Mazikeen went with purple. Lucifer chose black for himself. Then came the cheeks, he found something with a gold tinge to it and passed it to Maze to paint on him. Maze chose a combination of colours in swirls, and Izuden added some designs in blue to the gold she already had painted on her.

The tea was both bitter and sweet, and left a tingling sensation on Lucifer’s tongue that he enjoyed, even though it did make speaking Lilim somewhat sloppier than usual. 

“Issooden,” he said and tilted his head to the side when the fancy dame looked his way. “Repeat after me.” He slowly sounded out a wave of song. 

She made a face and laughed before taking another sip of her own tea. “What is that supposed to mean?” 

Maze flicked the younger Lilim’s arm. “Just do it, it makes him happy to show off.” 

With a slight frown, Izuden copied the noises. 

Lucifer laughed loudly and rolled onto his back. “No, not like that.” He repeated again, the song slow and clear. “Again, come on.” 

She tried. She sounded it out, followed his careful instructions, and finally was able to form something relatively close to what he’d told her. He offered her a small flesh object that he assumed was edible and she accepted. 

Izuden rolled her eyes. “Those weren’t words.” 

“Angel words,” Maze interjected. 

Izuden puzzled over it. “What did I say?” 

“I don’t know how to translate it,” he laughed and finally sat up when Izuden growled. “Okay, okay, I’ll try,” he said, still laughing. “Time bends in waves of light.”

Lucifer laughed all the harder as both Maze and Izuden looked confused. 

“Is that supposed to mean something?”

Lucifer rolled his eyes. “About as much as _dizzy-eyed flapdragon_ means to me.” 

Maze cleared her throat and let out a warbling off key grunt and Lucifer smiled with delight.

“My name!” he leaned in close to her and playfully nipped at her neck. “So you are teachable,” he teased, then laughed again at the marks left on her throat from his painted lips. 

Izuden poured him more fermented tea, and he eagerly drank it up.

He watched the Lilim around them, sorting through the piles of leather coverings and painting themselves and others. A male was having his horns decorated with a glittery paste that reminded him of distant twinkling stars. Would any of his siblings appreciate these things as much as he did? 

Fingers snapped in front of his face and he blinked. Maze sat glowering at him, “Where’d you go?” 

“Somewhere I doubt I’ll ever go again,” he said, feeling a tightness in his chest at the thought. 

Maze stared at him, “Its time to head back.” She stood up and reached for Lucifer’s hand. He stood with her but wobbled a moment before finding his balance. His lips and fingers and toes felt numb and his eyes felt slow as everything moved around him in a swaying fashion. It was delightful. Maze kept a firm grip on his arm, a steady force in the shifting world around him. 

Izuden was suddenly at him, her arms around his neck and nuzzling his face. He smiled and blinked at the attention as she pulled away and whispered something to Maze that made them both laugh. 

Everything looked new like this. Colorful in a way it never was with clear eyes. “Maze, the drums, I want you to listen to the drums,” he tugged her toward the throng of wildly moving Lilim and she followed. Or was she leading? It was hard to tell. 

The closer they got to the drumming the more he could feel the rhythm pounding in his bones, and he started hopping along with the rest of them. Maze joined, her hand never leaving his. 

Everything else fell away, there was just the beat and there was Maze, the way things should be. The pounding rhythm changed and the Lilim around them howled and screeched, and he let out a noise along with them that set Maze laughing. He did it again and she copied, and everything felt good and alive. 


	3. The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is power in the air.

Something was wrong. 

The new clothing and eye kohl Izuden introduced him to had proven to be lasting fun. He'd experimented for hands of ashfalls with the kohl and face paints using different techniques and styles, but in the end, he settled on thick dark outlines around his eyes. Applying the lines provided only a minor distraction from the tension within him this ashfall.

He couldn’t ignore it. A restlessness stirred deep within. A vitality. 

His back itched when he tried to contain his wings, only feeling better—feeling right—when he brought them forth and allowed them to stretch out. 

Sparks of divinity sizzled between his feathers; their luminescence uncontainable. 

“What’s going on with you?” Maze griped, squinting as she looked away. 

“I have no idea,” he admitted. “Do you feel it, Maze?” 

“Yes, it feels like a spike being driven into my skull. You’re going to dark-blind me.” 

He flexed his wings up against his back and pulled a cloak over them. Maze took one look at him and nearly fell over with laughter. “You look like a giant glow-worm.” 

Whatever a glow-worm was it didn’t seem as funny from his perspective, but at least the cloak protected Maze’s eyes. 

He felt… alive. Renewed. As if a great weight had been lifted from within. As if all this time something had been holding him back and it had only just released its hold. He felt like himself; marvelous and awesome in divinity. His wings felt fierce, filled with potential. Lucifer couldn't sit still. 

Maze suggested, not kindly, to take himself elsewhere, but even walking in the lanes didn’t settle the growing agitation within. 

The shadows cast by his light stretched and warped shadows down the lanes he walked. The divinity repulsed the ash, it fell around him, drifted near but never landed on his body or wings. He could breathe deeper, the air felt fresh and free of toxic debris.

No one got in his way. No one dared approach or even look in his direction. No one aside from Fraq. She and her little male companions could not be deterred. They trailed behind him everywhere he went. 

“Can’t you put your wings away? The light makes my eyes hurt.” Fraq complained as she jogged to keep pace. 

Lucifer rolled his shoulders, but it was too much to keep inside and attempting to dull them only resulted in a surge of brightness. 

“No.” The low noise he’d heard since the beginning of ash-fall grew in intensity. “Fraq, do you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“It’s like the drums, but coming from the ground. It’s all around us.”

“Have you been smoking hair-moss with Mazikeen? Let’s go throw rocks at the rats near the wall.” 

He followed the three of them as they ran out toward the outer sections of the collective. He recognised this area. It was close to where Maze took him to the wall. 

“Not that way.” She grabbed his hand and tugged him in the opposite direction of the burned-out domes. “Its cursed.” 

“Why is it cursed?”

“Because it is,” Fraq answered with full confidence. 

It was just like her assertion about the talisman pouches holding power. “Things aren’t cursed for no reason.” 

“Shh. It is not to be talked of,” she whispered and glanced quickly up at the above before hurrying away. 

“Why is it not talked of? What is wrong with talking about it? And how am I supposed to know what can be said and what can’t?” 

“You ask more questions than spawn do!” she teased.

“What are spawn, and what’s so bad about asking questions?” He raised his arms with frustration and his wings flared with unexpected intensity. Fraq skipped away but returned to his side once he gained control over himself again. “Don’t you ever wonder if the things you’ve been told are true?”

“No.” Fraq shrugged. “Why would everyone believe something if it wasn’t true?” 

He released a sigh of annoyance. “What if everyone is wrong?” 

“That’s ridiculous, everyone can’t be wrong,” she scoffed and ran ahead, Bof and Grog followed with excited howls. 

Lucifer watched them run ahead and contemplated running after them. But why should he run if he could fly? His wings twitched with anticipation. 

He tested it first, a forceful push down, ash blew up and around in the wake of power released, blowing outward. That was considerably more power than he expected. He extended wings up, and swooshed down and—

He was in the air. He whooped with excitement. He was in the air! Another beat of his wings and he gained height, again and again, the air rushed past him and the ash parted as he cut through the drifting flakes. He climbed until he had to fight the wind, then he tucked, and fell fast. His wings extended, catching him, and swooping him back up. 

It was exhilarating. His heart raced; he was alive! 

And he could see the collective below him; the Lilim in the lanes. The chaotic layout of the domes haphazardly stretching in all directions out from the Spire. From here, he could see there had once been some basic forethought to city planning. Lines reached outward from the Spire at the center of the stronghold, the remains of the original pattern only vaguely visible from the high vantage point. 

He descended again, looking now for his land-bound companions. They were gathered in the lane, staring up, waving their arms frantically. He tried to control his landing, to bring his wings in enough to land softly but without stirring up more ash than necessary. He stumbled and skidded; nearly crashing into Fraq. Not his best landing, but not shabby for his first time in so long. 

Fraq coughed and pulled her cloak up over her face and the little males scattered. The ash refused to settle on or around him, and he stood beaming from the only clear spot of air. 

Fraq stared at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. “You flew.” 

“I did,” he stated proudly and folded his wings up at his back. For the first time in a long time he felt whole again. The glow spread, divinity emanating all around him. 

Fraq trembled and took a cautious step back. “What are you?” 

“What I’ve always been,” he grinned, extended his wings again. All the soreness, the tiredness he’d felt for so long was gone. No pain. None. His wings were pristine. 

Fraq continued shivering, but she didn’t back away any further. “Are you—” 

“Where is this place you want to throw rocks?” he asked. Why weren’t they on their way already? 

She pointed ahead. “This way?” 

He started walking and paused when he noticed she hadn’t followed. “Coming?” 

“Yeah,” she agreed, uncertainly, and skipped to catch up. 

…

This was new. The wall here had crumbled. There were no signs of deliberate destruction, only neglect. Lucifer picked around at the ruins, interested in the construction and subsequent failure of the structure. It had been built of rocks of various sizes, shaved down and fitted together like an intricate puzzle. But age had caused the rock to deteriorate and break apart. 

His companions collected armloads of rocky debris and climbed up on the still standing portion and dumped their rocks into piles. 

He stared up again at the above. Was the ash cloud churning faster than it usually did? “Does it look different?”

Fraq stared up. “The seer was at market yelling about the coming of the dragon who will devour us all.” She nudged Lucifer’s arm. “Are there dragons in the above where you come from?”

“Dragons?”  
  
“Giant beasts of the air that devour all they come across.”

“And it’s coming here?”

“No, you slug-brain. It’s only stories. A hand of ash-falls ago she was screaming about fire from the above burning all the fields of moss. Fields of moss, she screamed! No such thing, everyone knows moss and fungus only grows away from the ash. She’s addled.” 

“No dragons?” Lucifer asked. “You believe in magic pouches but not in magic Lilim?”

Fraq laughed. “Everyone knows the seer is full of gas. The dragons were all chased away by the mighty warriors before the days of collectives began. The nest-minders told us the only dragons left are in the outer-lands.”

“I’m going to look around,” he called over. Fraq nodded and tried not to look like she was watching him. Lucifer made sure to walk a fair distance away before taking off, hoping to minimize the amount of ash swept up around the other Lilim. 

It was easier to take flight the second time. He circled over where Bof and Grog were still collecting rocks and dumping them into piles and then flew higher and looked out over the collective. These were the sights he was meant to see, not the suffocating limits the land-bound were consigned to. 

He circled around again and soared out over beyond the stronghold wall. 

Fissures in the land opened below, the darkness sinking farther than light could reach, and heat wafted up from the depths. He drifted on the air currents, dipping and rising with various changes of air density. Flying felt just as random and chaotic as navigating the lanes within the collective, and he loved it. 

Above, the ash cloud coiled in its spiral, the pressure mounting within. Lucifer could feel the power shifting within it. 

Not dragons. But something was happening up there. 

Further out, he spotted some beasts among the craggy hills, four legged creatures with giant horns, an entire herd of them. They scattered as he flew over. In the distance a winged creature caught his eye, large, judging from the wing-span. Its tail stretched out behind, long, whipping through the air. A piercing scream filled the air and dove into one of the fissures. 

That was when he looked back and realised how far he’d traveled. How much time had passed? It was easy to lose track without the build of ash up to measure it by. The wind had grown stronger, but that could be a factor of altitude. No matter. He was ready to test his speed. He rose on the next heat current, faced the collective, and with one forceful thrust of his wings, shot forward. 

The rush was fantastic, the land sped past below in little more than a blur. He was only a little off target when he saw the wall draw closer and he circled and landed in nearly the exact spot he’d taken off from. 

Fraq and her friends remained still as they watched him hop across the ruins to their location, instinctively using his wings for balance and ease of movement. 

A collection of dead things lay piled at their feet. “Good hunting?” 

Fraq growled at him and pointed her clawed finger at his chest. “Where did you go? I was worried you wouldn’t come back.” 

He let out a quick snort. “Where would I go?” 

“Back to where your kind live?” 

Oh. “I can’t go back there.” Thinking about that other place soured his mood. 

“Good,” Fraq said resolutely. “I’m tired of losing males.”

“Zek? How long will it take for him to become a warrior?”

Fraq threw a large stone at a wall just to watch it smash into pieces. “Never. He left his mentor. He’s lost in a bad place.” 

“If you know where he is, we could find him?”

Her expression was thunderous. “Won’t listen. He’s lost.”

Bof and Grog watched her warily. Lucifer felt like there was a large part of what she said he didn’t understand, but he didn’t pry. If she wanted to tell him, she would. He leaned on a fallen section and watched the males start chucking stones again. 

“Are these to sell?” He faced away from the wind. Was it stronger than when he’d left? There were barely three fingers of ash on the ground. Unless wind-rise came very early, they still had lots of time before having to go back. 

“No,” Fraq laughed. “They’re for roasting and eating. Want some for Mazikeen?” 

“You should present them to her yourself,” he suggested, hoping to avoid carrying the small beast carcasses through the lanes. 

Fraq handed him a stone. “You can bring her one too. If it's a good one, she might even keep a fang for her Talisman pouch.” 

He felt the weight of the rock on his palm. “What would she want with that?” 

“Tribute. She takes care of you, it's only right you bring her your kills in honor.” 

“And she’d like that?” 

“She’s a warrior. I know she would.” Fraq pointed out below. “There’s one. Try.” 

He watched the small creature climb out of a hole in the ground, its snout wiggled as it sniffed the ground. It had small red eyes, shaggy gray fur, and stubby legs with a long tail extending twice it’s length behind it. 

He eyed it intently. Fraq shifted impatiently beside him. “Maze will be proud,” she encouraged. “Hurry before it scurries back under the rock.”

He raised his arm, drew back, ready to throw, and aimed just above the creature. His aim struck true, with far more force than he intended, but it served its purpose and the small thing scurried back into its hole. 

Fraq shook her head sadly. “Good strength, bad aim. Practice will make you better,” and she patted his arm. “Better luck next time.” 

“Right.” 

Fraq was scanning the landscape for another potential target when the ash cloud above began to rumble. She looked up in alarm and whistled shrilly. The males dropped their rocks immediately and started shoving their dead things into a bag. 

“Time to go.” 

Lucifer stared above. The rumbles grew louder, and the cloud churned faster. Tendrils of darkness started spinning down from the expanse like tentacles, elongating, reaching. The air around them sizzled with pent up energy and power. He felt it all around him. 

“Funnels!” Fraq tugged at his arm. “Storm! It’s coming quick. We need to find shelter.” 

The wind around them whipped in circles, the whelps coughed and pulled their scarves up over their noses and frantically searched for shelter.

The wind buffeted his cloak, but the ash swirled around him, never touching. “I feel it.” 

“What?” Fraq yelled above the howling wind around them. The males crowded to her side. “We have to go. Now, Lucifer.” 

Out in the distance, barely visible through the ash and darkness more funnels descended, they curled and twisted, their ends sucking at the ground. 

Fraq pulled on him again, growing frantic in her desperation to move. 

His fists were clenched so tight he felt blood on his palms from his fingernails. He extended his wings and their brilliance shone, the only light in the darkness around them. 

“If we go now, we can still find shelter. Lucifer!” Fraq hit his arm, pummeling him to get his attention. 

“Go,” he shouted at her, pushing her away. “Fast. Go.” 

She left him and ran, pulling the males along with her, he watched as they crowded under the ruins. There was no way that pile of stone could protect them from what was coming. 

He faced the storm again, and stared up at the ash cloud churning above, rumbling, lightning flashing within its swirling mass. 

These were the agonies of a dying land. Why hadn’t he recognised it sooner? The poisoned air, the barren ground. _What was this place_? 

He felt the vibrations of the thunder in the rock under his feet. 

The shifting energy within the storm pulled, and he wrestled back. The more he resisted, the stronger the winds blew. The darkness swirled around him, his wings and the light of his divinity the only thing able to cut through the raging chaos.

Divinity. Even here Lucifer was connected to his Father. His wings, the feathers they produced, embodied life and power. And the world around him was hungry for it. 

The land needed it, the above drew on it. The imbalance wreaked havoc on everything around them. Life here was greedy for what he possessed naturally. He could feel the pull; if he didn't release the divinity built up over the last ashfalls, if he didn't act as a conduit to bring balance, the world around him would take it by force. And the storm that raged while he fought it would end lives and destroy parts of the collective.

It wasn’t like last time. He hadn’t known what was happening the last time a storm descended, he’d only acted on instinct. The storm had called, and he’d been compelled to answer.

Now he knew.

Fraq and Bof and Grog were hiding among the ruins. 

He wasn’t strong enough to fight an entire world. The longer he resisted the more he put everyone in the collective at risk. 

At this moment he was everything he’d once been. 

And he was about to lose it all, all over again.

Lucifer yelled, an ear piercing, rock shattering roar of fury and grief. 

He held on a moment longer, building every speck of potential within, and finally, he gave it release. 

His wings burst forth with divinity brighter than the most massive of stars, he was The Lightbringer once more, a rush of agony overtook him, his yell turned into a scream as he gave in to being the conduit between the land and the above. The power rushed through him, stripping him raw, taking all that he was with it. 

And then it was over. 

The world was dark, the ash settled. The roiling ash cloud above grew quiet and settled. 

And Lucifer lay on the ground, empty. 

He was only vaguely aware of Fraq and the males crouching over him, poking at his side and face. 

“Did he die?” 

Fraq smacked the male beside her. “No, you beetle-brain, he just blinked. Dead things don’t blink.” She tapped Lucifer’s cheek, and more gently, she said to him, “I’ll send Bof and Grog to get Mazikeen.” 

Lucifer shook his head. “Just help me get home.” With effort, he pushed himself up. Head down. His wings hung on his back, heavy, unresponsive. He shrugged his shoulders, concentrated on bringing them in, the action sent his head spinning, but it worked. They disappeared. Went elsewhere. It didn’t matter. He wanted them gone. 

Ash fell and settled in his hair, he coughed as it was drawn into his lungs and he raised his scarf to keep from breathing it in. 

Fraq wedged herself under his arm, pushing up with her legs to help get him to his feet. He slowly complied. The larger of her males—Grog—squeezed in on his other side. 

Everything went hazy after that. He was there, but at the same time he wasn’t. He watched the ground pass under him. Three steps, another three steps, and so forth, until they arrived at Maze’s dome.

There was no one inside. He collapsed on the bedroll, and Fraq settled beside him. The males ran out to search for Maze. 

“You saved us,” Fraq whispered as she stroked her hand along his shoulder and back. 

He didn’t know how long it took. A long time, or mere moments, but Maze rushed in, and Fraq disappeared. 

“I’ve been searching for you.”

There was water and porridge. The hearth was built up to blazing and Mazikeen had her arm around him. 

When he spoke, his voice sounded far away. “It’s the land, Maze.”

“Lucifer—” Maze began, but he grasped her hand. He needed to finish. To say it out loud.

“It draws on my power. I’m never going to be what I was.”

Maze said nothing further, and they sat together quietly as he stared into the flames.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Motivation is everything, so please take a moment and leave us a brief line of encouragement.


End file.
